By Joyce Danso
Accra, Aug. 17, GNA – Two persons have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a businessman of $85,000.
Mohammed Umaru 53, a businessman and Kweku Yeboah, a consultant, allegedly collected the money under the pretext of transferring $5million into an account but they failed.
Saviour Peters Rabbi, a 60-year-old Estate Developer, and a third accomplice, who is said to have forged SWIFT reports, suggesting the transfer of the said $5 million was absent in court.
Charged with conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretenses, Umaru and Yeboah have pleaded not guilty.
The Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, admitted Yeboah to bail in the sum of GHS 850,000 with one surety who should be a public officer earning not less thanGHC1,500 a month.
It however remanded Umaru into police custody under the grounds that he was a flight risk.
The court further issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Rabbi for failing to appear before it.
Respective counsels of the accused persons prayed for bail, saying their clients would appear to stand trial when granted bail and they would not interfere with Police investigations.
According to the lawyers, accused persons work within the jurisdiction and they would not commit further crimes when granted bail.
Prosecution led by Police Chief Inspector Eric Pobee vehemently objected to the grant of bail in respect of Umaru, saying Umaru was nabbed when he attempted to travel outside the country.
Chief Inspector Pobee argued that the Police had sent a notice to the Ghana Immigration Service and when Umaru showed up to travel outside Ghana, he was picked up. In the case of Yeboah, Prosecution did not oppose bail.
The facts as read out in court by Chief Inspector Pobee, are that the complainant is a businessman residing at Awoshie, Accra.
Prosecution held that the accused persons place of abode is yet to be known by the Police.
The prosecution said between the months of December 2021 and January 2022, the accused persons approached the complainant to provide his account details in China and Dubai to enable him and his business partners to receive monies from Rock Oil Company in the USA
Prosecution said the complaint was to pay them in Ghana while his business partners would be depositing the money in the complainant’s accounts in China and Dubai.
It said the complainant demanded documentation on the said business and Umaru produced copies of certificate of incorporation of Rock Oil Company and a copy of biodata section of a USA Passport number issued in the name of Cansler Jason as the business partner who was to transfer the money.
Prosecution said the complainant became convinced and Umaru managed to collect various sums of money from the complainant, which amounted to $85,000 under the pretext of using it as the commitment fee, meaning the complainant would give them their money in Ghana whenever monies were deposited in the said account.
The prosecutor said after parting with the $85,000, the complainant had information from his bankers that no money had been reflected in any of the accounts he provided.
It said the complainant therefore demanded evidence of the transfer which Umaru claimed has been affected.
Prosecution said Umaru then told the complainant that he had handed all the money he collected from him to Yeboah who also claimed he had also forwarded the same to Rabbi, who was in direct contact with the USA partners.
The prosecutor said days after, Umaru forwarded two SWIFT reports and confirmation slips purported to be coming from Jason.
Chief Inspector Pobee said the complainant forwarded the documents to his bankers in China and was told again that the SWIFT and Confirmations Slips were fake.
According to the prosecutor, the complainant confronted Umaru, and he mentioned Yeboah and Rabbi as his accomplices; he conspired with them to defraud the complainant.
Prosecution said Umaru was arrested, and he admitted receiving only $2,000 from Yeboah as an Air ticket to fly into Ghana from Nigeria and created one of the SWIFT transfer reports on the request of Yeboah.
Prosecution said Umaru admitted receiving $85,000 dollars with the help of Yeboah and Rabbi.
Umaru also admitted printing the Rock Oil Certificate of Incorporation and bio data section of USA passport of Jason on the internet and pleaded with the Police that he was going to refund the complainant’s money.
Prosecution after the accused persons were granted Police enquiry bail, intelligence gathered indicated that Umaru was planning to run out of the country which compelled the Police to forward a notice to the GIS and he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport and handed over to the Police.
Prosecution said the Police were making frantic efforts to nab Rabbi as investigations continue.
GNA